Hidden Colors
by SwirlsOfInk
Summary: Gumi is an innocent, young girl in the Victorian era. Her teacher, Gakupo, has feelings for her, and she feels the same way. So what will happen when others try to pursue the green headed girl? Will her feelings change, or will her love for Gakupo stay strong? A masquerade will decide it all. GumixGakupo, please review! Updated every other week, or so...
1. The Bells Are Ringing

_London, 1846_

_Gumi's Perspective_

Slowly opening my eyes, I can hear the dinging of the church bells ringing from my open window. I'll just go back to sleep, I think. Sleep is good.

Lying back down, I finally realize what time it must be. Jerking out of my bed, I run to the open window, the sweet autumn wind blowing my emerald hair around my face. "Well, crap. I'm going to be so freaking late," I whisper to myself.

The sun is already high in the sky, and I'm assuming I should be down in my tutoring session. I dash over to my closet and strip off my light silk nightgown.

Digging through my closet, I find the perfect thing to catch _his_ eyes. Taking the gold lace peasant top and tight brown pants off the rack, I imagine what I will look like in them. Sliding the shirt over my head, and jumping to get into my pants, I am so excited I almost forgot them. Grabbing my red goggles off the top shelf, I slide them onto my head. You can never see me without them, the omnipresent goggles. I only take them off when forced to, and even then I carry them with me in my pocketbook.

Sliding on my leather flats, I grab my knapsack and start to jog to the tutoring room.

The tile floor clicks under my fast pace, and I barely see any of the rooms I pass. I can hear snippets of conversations, some directed to me, but I ignore them, too late to care.

"Miss, would you like some breakfast?" a petite maid says to me. I wave her off, and continue to dash down the perpetual hallway.

Making a mad turn to the right, I almost slam into the shut door. Straightening out my flyaway hairs, and readjusting my disheveled goggles, I am ready to go in.

I lightly open the door, to see Gakupo sitting at the desk reading. He's wearing a white button up tee, a brown leather vest, black pants, and brown lace up boots. My heart flutters, and I can feel my face flush. He looks up at the sound of the door being swung open, his long hair framing his face, and a warm, iridescent smile spreads across his face. I feel myself flush even harder, and I can't even attempt to keep a sheepish grin off of my face. "You're late again, Gumi," Gakupo says teasingly.

"Sorry, Teacher," I say, "I slept in again. If it wasn't for the church bells, I would still be asleep." I go to drop down in the chair next to him, and scoot closer to the desk. Our thighs are almost touching, and the pressure building up inside of my stomach is almost too much to bear.

"You know, you could just call me brother. I've known you so long, I might as well be an older brother," Gakupo says. Brother? Can't he tell that I don't want to be just brother and sister? Oblivious, I swear. And yet I blush.

"Okay, big brother," I say, and it brings a smile onto his face. If just saying that makes him happy, I will never call him anything else. That smile is too precious for me not to see it.

He says, the words ticking my ears due to our proximity, "Why don't we just skip our lessons today? After all, you slept through half of them." I pretend to look insulted, but he can see right through that, those knowing violet eyes peering straight through me.

"Well, what do you want to do then? We can't just walk around the mansion, people will wonder why we're not at lessons," I say, trying to see if he thought of a response to that.

He leans in, close to my neck, his breath ruffling my hair, and whispers, "We could go take a walk around the garden." A walk around the garden! That would be so perfect. Just thinking about it, I can picture many, many good ways that that could go.

**Authors Notes: Hey there! This is the first fan fiction I have uploaded on this acount, so review, review, review! Now, before someone chews off my head, this is a very short chapter. I know that. Please, feel free to message me, or suggest anything to read. Or do both of the previously listed, if you're feeling very adventurous.**


	2. The Flowers Are Blooming

_Gakupo's Perspective_

I slide out of my seat, gesturing for Gumi to follow me. She stands, almost losing her balance, and I catch her, hugging her around the waist. She looks up at me, her spring green eyes sparkling. I place her on her feet and let go, immediately missing the heat of her body next to mine. I look over at her and detect a hint of, sadness?

"Now we just need to figure out how to get out to the garden without being noticed," she says, laughter dotting her words, turning her voice into the sound of chimes. Her laughter is like spring finally waking up. The babbling of a brook, the chirping of the birds, and the cracking of ice as the sun melts it.

She goes up to the door, and slowly opens it. Peeking outside, she overdramatically looks both ways, and signals for me to come with her into the hall. She walks, on her tiptoes, out into the hallway. I walk behind her, walking as I always do, and she slaps me in the arm.

"What was that for?" I ask indignantly, and she just shushes me.

"We're trying to be sneaky, remember?" she whispers, and continues to walk like that. Holding back a laugh, I walk down the hallway as I was, trying to not draw attention to myself.

Thankfully, we finally reach the gate to the garden. Gumi walks up to the black, rusted, wrought-iron gate, and tries to open it. She tries for about a minute, putting all her weight against the rarely used gate, to no avail. I walk up behind her, reaching my arms around her body, and, with our combined strength, we are able to open the gate.

Even after the gate was open, though, I didn't let go of her hands. I was leaning against her, and we were very, very, close. She turns her head to look up at me, our lips a stretch away. Her eyes are sparkling like exotic emeralds, and it takes all of my willpower to pull away. Again, I think I see a flicker of disappointment on her face.

"Well, shall we?" I say, and she takes my hand and guides me through the garden

_Gumi's Perspective_

Strolling along down the cobblestone path that winds its way around the garden, I can't help to smile at the flowers trying their hardest to bloom.

"What are you smiling at?" Gakupo asks me, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Oh, nothing," I say, and earn an incredulous look from him, "Okay, it's just the flowers. The effort they put into trying to bloom in the middle of autumn. They're trying to make the world pretty for us, even though they know that the harsh winter will be coming up to swipe them down."

A light blush covers my face, because I am embarrassed by how much I told him. I look over at him, and see that he is smiling. "What? Did you really think it with that funny, the way I feel about the blossoms?" I ask him, annoyed, tears threatening to spill over. Stupid, I was seriously sharing how I felt. I start to turn away, intending to go back inside when he grabs my wrist. I turn my head, back towards him, and realize that he is only a foot away from me now.

"That wasn't why I was smiling at all, Gumi," he says, and I can't help but blush when he says my name. "I thought it was sweet they way you viewed the flowers."

"Really?" I manage to whisper back at him.

"Really," he says.

We continue to walk along, never letting go of each other's hands, and we end up reaching a stone bench. It's in front of a beautiful rose garden covered in all sorts of colors. Sitting down on the bench, he sits down on the soft grass, so similar to my hair, and is about the same height as me for once.

"I really wasn't trying to make you upset back there, Gumi," he says, leaning his head up to stare me in the eyes.

"I know, I just overreacted, I guess," I say, making eye contact with him. I realize how close we are, and start to lean into him, or maybe he was leaning into me? Our lips are just moments away from each other.

"GUMI! Oh Gumi!"

Leaning up, I see that the owner of that voice was none other than my most trusted handmaiden, Luka. To me, she isn't even a servant as much as a best friend.

She finally reaches us, and says, out of breath, "I've been looking for you all morning. Is this where you've been hiding? Did someone skip her lessons?"

I nod my head, surprised at how fast my loyal friend can speak. She gestures for me to come with her. Following her out of the rose garden, I wave goodbye to Gakupo. He timidly waves back, and then stares off at the roses.

Barely able to contain herself, my friend finally bursts as soon as we are out of his earshot. "Oh my god! You skipped class with him! Did anything happen?" she blurts out, much too loudly for my preference, and I shush her.

Something might've happened if you didn't interrupt me!" I say, faking anger.

She slaps me on the arm, and claims, "How was I supposed to know? We laugh, and then a look of complete seriousness comes over here face.

"You have a meeting with your mom. She wants to talk to you about _him_," Luka says, and my heart beat out of fear. "He was here, you know, this morning. That's why I was looking for you; to make sure he didn't find you first. I think he is still here." My breath catches, and I feel faint.

"Why can't mother just give it up? She knows that I will never care for him. But I must marry into royalty, not poverty. No matter how much I might love said poverty," I say sighing

"I will never tell Mother about Gakupo, or else he will be fired, and he wouldn't be able to live without the income he gets from this job. Please, promise me that you'll never tell her," I say, tears pricking at my eyes.

"I'm almost ashamed that you would ask me that, Gum, of course I will never tell," she says.

We finally reach my mother's private wing of the castle, and I am saddened to leave Luka so soon. Before leaving, though, she grabs my hand and gives it a comforting squeeze.

"I'll always be with you, princess," she says, and walks away.

**So, what did you guys think? Remember, reviews make the world go 'round~~~. So, any guesses to who this mysterious ****_him_**** is? (If you couldn't follow that part, he is someone her mom wants her to marry. It'll be explained more next chapter.) Oh, and how many of you guessed that Gumi, this girl living in a palace, was a princess? (sorry for not mentioning it sooner, by the way. It's not something you can just casually slip into a conversation). If you just assumed, you deserve a virtual cookie. Smarty pants. And, virtual cookies if you can guess the mysterious him...**

**P.S. Feel free to message me with suggestions for one-shots or more. Or if you just want to talk to me. And, I repeat, reviews make the world go 'round~~~**


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